The ultimate goal of the State Water Control Board, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District and the tomato growers is to conserve the quality of the land and water. Good stewardship is both economically and environmentally sustainable. Therefore, all parties benefit from science-based technical advice to install tried and true as well as new and innovative plasticulture “best management practices.”

The Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District embraces the philosophy that voluntary programs with education, technical support, and monetary incentives work the best to get conservation “on the ground.” In the past several years, the District, working closely with the tomato growers, has made considerable progress to accomplish the goals of improving soil and water quality. Is it perfect? No. Does unusually harsh weather conditions make efforts difficult? Yes. Is there still more work that needs to be done? Absolutely.  And the work will continue to progress with the development of a formal agreement, the MOA, between the District and the tomato growers with the endorsement of the State Water Control Board and the Department of Environmental Quality.

Regulations on the surface sound like a good idea but they are often punitive in nature and they do not get the best results like positive reinforcement does. There is limited manpower and funding to adequately enforce the proposed regulations. The regulations would restrict the cooperation that currently exists between the District and the farmers.  There already is a way to ensure that farmers are not violating the law through the Agriculture Stewardship Act. The Ag Stewardship program works well and it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel.  

Therefore, the Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District  is confident that the MOA is the most prudent course of action to ensure good stewardship of the land and water of the Eastern Shore of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Robin Rich-Coates

Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District Board Chair

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